Teresa Stern, VAIL staff member, had this to say about her first voting experience: “Voting can be very scary when it’s your first time and if you also have a disability. The first time I voted, I didn’t know what to do. My father told me who to vote for. He told me not to discuss with anyone who I am voting for. That was many votes ago, and after that first time, I always planned ahead so I would feel confident voting. Since that first time, I have always decided for myself who I want to vote for. I am a registered voter; I listen to the candidates and vote for the one who most represents the things I believe in; and I always check with my voting place to see if anything has changed to be sure they will have the accommodations I will need to vote. Then I am ready to vote!”

Teresa Stern, a VAIL staff member who has accomplished her dream of writing and publishing a children’s book, has found that her first book has earned a Gold Seal Award. She first was informed that she was chosen as a finalist in the 2017 Literary Classics International Book Award Finalists (located in Rapid City, SD) for her first book, Grocery Store Alphabet Game, published in 2014 by Sarah Book Publishing in Harlingen. Later she found that her book had earned a Gold Seal award in the contest.

Teresa with her book.

The book finalists were selected from submissions by entrants around the globe. The honorees were “recognized for their contributions to the craft of writing, illustrating and publishing exceptional literature for a youth audience”

Teresa’s dream began when an idea for a children’s book formed in her mind about 20 years ago. So she began writing the story of a little girl who learns her alphabet at the grocery store shopping for food with her mother.

When Teresa attended college, she began to try to publish her book, but for one reason or the other, her writing got set aside for awhile. In 2011 she worked on her manuscript again, and this time made contact with a publisher in Harlingen called Sarah Book Publishing. She also met her graphics illustrator at an event at that time, and it all came together.

She submitted her manuscript in 2013, and in 2014 she published her very first book titled Grocery Store Alphabet Game, taking part in book signing events hosted by the publisher. The book was placed on Amazon.com for sale, and did quite well.

With the success of her first book, she tackled another children’s book titled The Tea Party on Henry’s Island. This book was published by the same company, but when the company closed, Teresa began setting up so she could self-publish using CreateSpace, an Amazon sponsored self-publishing company.

Her second book is now on sale on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Teresa is presently writing a third book, a sequel to The Tea Party on Henry’s Island called Christmas Eve Dinner on Annie’s Island.

At present, Teresa’s prize-winning first book is being converted to self-publishing, and should be available for sale in the very near future.